Cedar Rapids man sentenced to 10 years for soliciting teen for sex, sending graphic photos

CEDAR RAPIDS — A judge Tuesday sentenced a Cedar Rapids man to 10 years in prison for soliciting an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy for sexual acts.

Coady Wayne Tallman, 34, pleaded guilty in September to enticing a minor under 16 and a sex offender registry violation — providing false information second or subsequent offense, both Class D felonies, and two charges of telephone dissemination of obscene material to a minor, both aggravated misdemeanors.

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Tallman was one of seven Cedar Rapids men charged in a police sting in June targeting individuals attempting to solicit minors for sex. Officers posed online as minors and waited for individuals to interact with the sting account.

Tallman, in a September written plea, admitted to sending sexual messages and sexually explicit photos to a boy he believed was 14 — but was actually an undercover police officer posing as a minor online. He admitted to doing it with the intent to commit an illegal sex act.

He also admitted he didn’t report the online accounts he used when he updated his sex offender registration. He was convicted of a sex offense and has previous sex offender registry violations, according to the plea agreement.

Assistant Linn County Attorney Andrew Powers recommended running the two five-year felonies consecutively for 10 years and the two misdemeanors, each two-year sentences, concurrently for a total of 10 years.

Powers, in arguing that Tallman’s “predatory” behavior hasn’t changed, outlined Tallman’s previous criminal history, which included an assault causing serious injury, sex abuse of a juvenile and previous sex offender registry violations.

Powers also pointed out in this current conviction, Tallman believed the profile the police set up was of a 14-year-old boy, and he interacted with the account from his own Snapchat and another social media app, which he hadn’t reported even though it’s required of a registered sex offender.

Tallman asked for sexual acts from the supposed teen, asked to meet him in Daniels Park in northeast Cedar Rapids and sent graphics photos of himself, Powers said.

Kristymarie Shipley, Tallman’s lawyer, in recommending he receive probation, said her client was 34 years old but he has a cognitive disability. There was no allegation that he wasn’t successful under supervision — probation — in the past, Shipley said, and failing to disclose social media accounts is different from committing violations on probation.

Tallman would like to go back to college and start up a food truck with a family member, Shipley said, asking 6th Judicial District Judge Liz Dupuich to sentence him to probation and require him to have a mental health evaluation and treatment.

Tallman declined to make a statement during sentencing.

Dupuich said she was following the prosecution’s recommendation of 10 years in prison because of Tallman’s criminal history and the “extremely” serious nature of the offense.

Tallman also must comply with the sex offender registry requirements for life, according to Iowa law.

Six others were charged with enticing a minor under age 16 as part of the sting operation between June 11 and 18. Police investigators created several spoof accounts on dating apps and websites and pretended to be underage.

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